Vitamin B12 deficiency: symptoms and causes, methods of prevention and treatment

Often vitamin B12 deficiency appears in vegetarians who do not take any vitamin supplements. This vitamin enters the human body with products of animal origin, so if a person refuses meat and dairy products, then the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency can manifest itself quickly enough.

Why does vitamin B12 deficiency occur?

There are a lot of reasons for the lack of vitamin B12 in the human body. Often this happens when the human digestive system does not sufficiently absorb it from foods that enter the body.

The following causes of vitamin B12 deficiency can be noted:

1. The course of use of medicines that have been directed to reduce gastric acidity.
2. Condition, during which there is a lack of vitamin B12.In order for the vitamin to be absorbed, the stomach must be made protein.
3. Disorders from the autoimmune system.
4. After 50 years, more than 30% of people have atrophic gastritis, which contributes to the deficiency of this vitamin.
5. Frequent use of alcohol.
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6. Surgical intervention to remove part of the intestine or stomach.
7. Conditions that adversely affect the small intestine.

Often the lack of vitamin B12 affects vegetarians. These people strictly observe the diet and completely exclude from the diet animal products. Those vegetarians who consume dairy products and eggs are also prone to vitamin deficiency, because their body receives a too meager dose.

It is also worth noting that those children who are born from mothers-vegetarians can suffer from a lack of vitamin B12.

How is deficiency of vitamin B12 manifested?

If the body is deficient in vitamin B12, then it can lead to a scarcity of anemia. But because of persistent anemia, the following signs of vitamin B12 deficiency may appear:

• Rapid fatigue.
• Frequent dizziness.
• Constipation or, conversely, diarrhea.
• Heart palpitations.
• The gingiva is bleeding.
• Skin is pale.
• The tongue is swollen.

In the event that this condition is not corrected, the nerve cells will be damaged. For this reason, vitamin deficiency causes the following symptoms:

• Loss of orientation in space.
• Tingling marks in the legs and fingers.
• Depression, a constant change of mood.
• Walking is difficult.

If a deficiency of vitamin B12 is observed in a newborn, this often leads to serious damage to the nervous system.

Treatment of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Treatment will depend on what the cause of the vitamin deficiency is. Due to poor digestion of the body vitamin B12, it is replenished. To do this, it is prescribed in the form of injections or tablets.

If the deficit is due to a wrong diet, the doctor will insist on changing the diet or prescribe vitamin in the form of tablets or injections.

Such treatment for many people is sufficient, and anemia recedes, but the nervous disorders that have arisen because of a lack of vitamin can periodically manifest.

Prevention of vitamin B12 deficiency

Avoiding vitamin B12 deficiency is easy enough by eating seafood, meat, eggs and dairy products. If you do not eat animal food or the body does not absorb enough vitamin, you need to start taking medications that contain B vitamins.

If you find yourself experiencing similar symptoms of vitamin deficiency, you should definitely seek advice from specialists and check the levelB12 in the body. A selection of videos on the topic